Liam reigns victorious in North Somerset

CONSERVATIVE MP Liam Fox has held onto his North Somerset constituency, with a bigger majority than he secured at the last election.

A roar went up among the hundreds of people packed into the Scotch Horn Leisure Centre in Nailsea to hear the result which was announced at just before 3am.

Dr Fox, 48, was elected as MP for the constituency in 1992 with an 11.7 per cent majority and in 2005 secured his seat again with a majority of 6016.

At this year's hotly contested political fight, he polled 28,549 votes, compared to Liberal Democrat Dr Brian Mathew who polled 20,687.

Taking to the stage after the result, Dr Fox said: "I want to thank the people of North Somerset for giving me another chance and the highest number of votes since 1992 and the biggest majority."

The turn out for the North Somerset constituency this year was 75.09 per cent, compared to 72 per cent in 2005.

The first ballot boxes started to arrive at the Scotch Horn Leisure Centre at 10.10pm where a team of 80 counters - made up of council staff, retired civil servants and bank clerks- working through the night to check and count the ballot papers.

The last box, from Felton, arrived at 11.20pm.

The highest turn out of electors was at the Black Horse pub in Clapton in Gordano which had turned its childrens' room into a polling station for the day.

The pub saw a turn out figure of 86.38 per cent  - the highest in the district - for the Clapton in Gordano ward. 

However other areas of Portishead did not fare so well, with just 63.95 per cent of the local electorate turning out to vote at the Avon Way hall polling station.

Liberal Democrat Brian Mathew polled 20,687 votes, Labour's Steven Parry-Hearn polled 6,448 votes and Sue Taylor from UKIP got 2,257 votes.